Potato-bug destroyer.



i 'rn'rns PATENT rFIcE.

HANS ll. SlElI AND CHRISTIAN I-IOLSTEIN, OF MILLARD, NEBRASKA.

POTATO-BUG DESTROYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,268, dated January30, 1900.

Application filed August 11,1898. Serial No. 688,386- NO modem To allwhom it may concern/.-

Be it known that we, HANS H. SIEH and CHRISTIAN HOLSTEIN, residing atMillard, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have inventedcertain useful Improvements in Potato-Bug Destroyers; and we do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has relation to a new and novel improvement in potato-bugcrushers.

The object of our invention is to provide a device which will be adaptedto be carried through a potato-patch and be arranged to brush and knockoff the potato-bugs, which are thrown into the receptacle, at the bottomof which they collect and where they are crushed and killed, the remainsdropping through the rollers to the ground.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown in Figure 1 a top View of apotato-bug crusher embodying ourinvention, while Fig. 2 shows an underview, with portions broken away, of a potato-bug crusherembodying ourinvention.

Our device embodies, essentially, an axle A, of any suitable size andpreferably round, to which axles are secured ordinary wheels 2 2 andfrom which axleA extends the tongue 8, to which the draftanimal issecured. The tongue 3 is strengthened by means of the transverse bars4:, as will be noticed in referring to Fig. 1. "Working upon the axle Aand revolving with the same is a sliding clutchcollar 15, whichclutch-collar can be thrown backward and forward by means of an ordinaryoperating-lever 17, which by means of a pin 1Sis secured to an ordinarysupporting-bracket 16, extending from the rear trans verse brace 4 andriding upon the axle A, as is shown.

Loosely working upon the shaft A is a clutch-collar 1%, provided with asprocketwheel, from which extends a chain 13, which chain in turn worksover a sprocket-wheel 12, which pulley forms part of a stub-shaft 11,which stub-shaft is held within a bracket 29, forming part of reardepending vertical bar 5, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3. This bar 5 issecured to the bar 4 and is additionally supported by means of anordinary stay-rod 19. Mounted upon the opposite end of the stub-shaft 11is an ordinary bevelgear 10, which bevel-gear meshes with a secondbevelgear 9, which bevel-gear 9 is socured to a shaft 6, which worksthrough the vertical bars 5 5 and is provided with a hub 7 from whichhub extend the reeds or switches 8 8. Now should it be desired torevolve these reeds or switches 8 while the ve hicle is being carriedforward it would simply be necessary to throw in the clutch to engagethe clutch 14:, so that the rotary move ment of the shaft A would beimparted to the stub-shaft 11 and through the gears to the reeds 8.

Opposite to the point where the reeds-supporting hub 7 is in position isa receptacle B, provided with the back and a bottom 21, a portion ofwhich bottom 21 is opened, as is shown in Fig. 1, and within thisopening are held two ordinary crushing-rollers 23 and 24, one beingprovided with a shaft 27 and the other with a shaft 22, as is shown inFig. 2. These rollers are made to revolve toward one another by means ofthe meshing gears 25 and 26. Secured to the shaft 27 is an ordinarypulley 28, over which the ordinary belt 30 passes, which belt 30 at theother end passes over pulley 31, mounted upon shaft 6,

supporting the bevel-gear 9, as is shown, so

that as the brush is revolved the rollers are also turned, so that thebugs as they are brushed off of the potato-vines, which vines areadapted to come out at a point approximately below the brushes or reeds8, will be swept off and into the receptacle B, where they will becrushed by the rollers.

The device is light and readily operated, and,

Having thus described our said invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination with a suitable supporting-frame, of a wheel-rotatedsupportingaxle, a sliding clutch working upon said axle, asuitably-supported lever to operate said clutch, a rotatingcounterpart-clutch loosely mounted upon said axle, provided with asprocket-wheel, a suitably-supported stubshaft, a sprocket-wheel andbevel-gear upon said stub-shaft, a chain connecting saidstubbrush-shaft, all arranged substantially as and shaft sprocket tosaid c1utch-sprocket,abrushfor the purpose set forth.

shaft suitably supported, a bevelgear se- In testimony whereof we aflixour signa- 4 cured to said brush-shaft and meshing with tures in thepresence of two witnesses.

5 said stub-shaft gear, a plurality of reeds or brushes extending fromsaid brush-shaft, a E E' depending receptacle positioned below andadjacent to said reed-provided shaft, crush- Vitnesses: ing-rolls withinsaid receptacle, and beitcon- G. W. SUEs,

iO nection between said crushing-rolls and said GRACE GRAY.

